Rising popularity of RES will affect the labor market
22:45
Green energy is the future not only for the climate. As pointed out by Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny (PIE), a public think tank, employment in this sector will also grow with the growing popularity of RES.
According to a study published in the journal OneEarth, employment in the renewable energy sector in 50 countries around the world is expected to increase fivefold by 2050. 85 percent of new employees will find a job in the wind energy and photovoltaics sectors.
At the same time, employment in the fossil fuel sector will quadruple drop. The job will be lost by 80 percent of employees of oil, gas, and coal mining companies.
Estimates of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) indicate that the renewable energy sector employs almost 12 million people worldwide. Of this number, as much as 38 percent works in China. Most people, one-third, are employed in the photovoltaic sector.
The Polish renewable energy industry provides work for nearly 100,000 people. Most in the biomass sector, but also newer sectors, such as photovoltaics and wind energy, are growing rapidly. It has been estimated that the ultimate potential in the area of offshore wind energy may amount to approx. 70,000 new jobs. Initially, the so-called local content, i.e. the share of domestic companies in the supply chain, will not be high. However, the example from Great Britain shows that after 15 years of industry development, this rate may rise from less than 10 percent up to 50 percent. In Poland, a more industrialized country, it may be even higher.
